Best Gaming Motherboards for Intel and AMD CPUs

One of the most important components of a gaming PC is the motherboard. It houses your RAM, CPU and GPU, and all components you need to ensure a smooth gaming experience. So it makes sense that you would like to choose the best gaming motherboards for your CPU. 

Motherboard compatibility with CPUs splits motherboards into two categories – motherboards compatible with Intel CPUs and with AMD CPUs. In this list, I’ve compiled the 5 best gaming motherboards for both of these categories!

The optimal gaming motherboard will maximize your chipset while providing I/O options and customizability to fulfill your gaming needs. So without looking any further, let’s get you paired up with the gaming motherboard of your dreams.

Top 10 Gaming Motherboards for Intel & AMD

Please note; I have enlisted the latest X670 motherboards with X570 and B550 ones so that you can choose based on your Ryzen CPUs (7000 series and older). And for Intel gamers, you’ll find Z790 motherboards with Z690 and a B760 motherboard for Intel 12th and 13th Gen CPUs.

5 Best Gaming Motherboards for AMD

The Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX is a creative solution for high-speed gaming performance. With an attractive design and well-managed cost-effectiveness, this motherboard will provide the optimal gaming experience.

Finding a motherboard that delivers RAM performance without emptying your wallet is difficult. However, Gigabyte has managed to pull this off with the Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite. With 4x DDR5 RAM slots, they have optimized RAM performance, making sure all your games run seamlessly.

You also get a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot to run the latest 4000 series RTX graphics cards. Additionally, four more M.2 slots take care of all your data storage and transfer. All this is powered by a 16+1+2 phases power delivery system built for efficiency. 

What’s more, even at a midrange price, you get cooling solutions onboard. While not optimized, there is more than enough cooling going on to get you through your gaming sessions!

Overall, if you are looking for a DDR5 motherboard for high-speed performance, this motherboard beats all of its peers in the same range., It’s my pick for this list’s overall best motherboard for AMD 7000 CPUs!

The Asus ROG Crosshair X670E Hero comes in at a sweet spot where a premium price meets value for money. This means you get everything you pay for. If you have a little extra budget for some extra connectivity features and a fresh look, this one is for you!

Powerful 18+2 teamed power stages will be more than enough to power your AMD gaming build. In addition, with 3 PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, you can rest assured that your need for speed is taken care of. 

Along with a host of cooling options, including 5 M.2 heatsinks, the updated design and RGB layout take the cake for this great offering from ASUS. Moreover, with 12 USB slots and flagship-class audio, the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero is one of the best premium boards with performance, speed, and world-class aesthetics.

This is backed up by the tests I have run, which puts this motherboard as an outstanding performer in its price range at gaming performance tests such as Witcher-3 and COD. Therefore, the ROG Crosshair is for those who want a full heavy gaming performance, truly earning its spot on this list.  

A dependable, rugged mid-range X670 motherboard is what the MSI MPG X670E Carbon presents itself as. And if this is what you’re looking for, you may find it here. However, what really sets it apart is its unique design.

With a sleek black carbon fiber look, the MSI MPG X670E Carbon offers consumers 2 PCIe 5.0 slots at full x16 support – an asset to any gaming setup. Moreover, it enables RTX 4000 GPU support with ample PCIe 5.0 channels to spare. 

Finally, with a generous 18+2+1 power phase delivery system, there’s enough power and performance to satisfy most of your needs. In addition, connectivity needs are handled by 13 USB ports, more than enough for peripheral devices needed by even creative users. 

Speaking of aesthetics, this motherboard’s unique design solution is the degree of cooling solutions available, with extensive heatsinks and cooling pipes everywhere. So you can push your machine to the maximum with heating issues, all while enhancing the overall aesthetic of your build. 

Excelling at gaming performance in all tests, this motherboard is my recommendation for anyone looking for an AMD motherboard with the best design sensibility and aesthetic possible. 

Have an older AMD chipset and need the best possible gaming motherboard for it? I’ve got you covered. The ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus is definitely what you need. Being an X570 board, it provides support for older 2nd and 3rd gen Ryzen CPUs, and boy, does it make them perform to their absolute limits.

At first glance, the ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus looks like a regular X570 motherboard. But upon closer inspection, I started to appreciate what a feat of engineering it is. Priced among the most affordable X570 gaming motherboards, it consistently performed well for gaming as well as graphics usage.

You get PCIe 4.0 support, dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and onboard WiFi 5, even with a tight board budget. There is also an option for rear USB 3.2 type C connectivity. By focusing on performance over a fancy design, ASUS has ensured that this motherboard gets the best out of your older-generation chipsets.

The overall utility suffers a bit in content creation and productivity due to the lack of 2.5GbE LAN connectivity and fewer USB ports. Nevertheless, this is definitely what I think_ is one of the best gaming motherboards for AMD 5000 chipsets.

And now, one for the gamers on a budget – don’t think I forgot this very important consumer base! If you’re looking for gaming motherboards on a lower budget for an AMD CPU, a few motherboards will do the job better than the MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk. 

Right off the bat, let’s get into testing results. I’m starting here with this motherboard because it was almost shocking how well this budget board performed. While no spectacular performances would compete with the big leagues, it is rare for budget boards to perform consistently well all-round. 

This board did that and more, competing with even some midrange B550 offerings. This, along with PCIe 4.0 support and optimized DDR4 performance, make this one of the best budget offerings out there. 

It is difficult to tell where the cost-cutting was done, as the cooling solutions provided are MSI’s own proprietary and effective solutions, and you also get a myriad of RGB customization possibilities. Add to this onboard LAN and enough I/O solutions for any budget gaming setup, and you have my pick for the best budget gaming motherboard for AMD 3rd Gen CPUs. 

5 Gaming Motherboards for Intel

The ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming delivers on what it promises to be – a gamer’s dream. If you’re looking for gaming motherboards that deliver performance to the absolute maximum without all the extra bells, this is for you. 

At the upper end of midrange-priced Intel motherboards, you get 5 M.2 slots, of which one is PCIe 5.0 supported. In addition, DDR5 support is available and powered by a robust 18+1 phase power delivery system. This means gamers can easily upgrade to the incredible RTX 4000 series GPU. 

With a sleek black design and RGB Aura Sync headers, ASUS has also ensured that it looks like a gamer’s workhorse. The integrated sound is immersive and impressive, which is rare with motherboards. This is accompanied by exceptionally well-done cooling solutions in the form of VRM heatsinks.

Above all, the AI overclocking feature ensures a seamless gaming experience, which helps a lot in playing high-end games smoothly. Considering all of the above, I would confidently give this motherboard a spot on my list. I would go so far as to call it the overall best gaming motherboard you could get for your Intel gaming PC build. 

The MSI MPG Z790 Edge WiFi Gaming is my go-to motherboard when someone asks me about the most stylishly designed gaming motherboards. In terms of aesthetics and functionality, it excels at all design parameters. Let’s take a closer look. 

The MSI MPG Z790 Edge comes in a unique silver design without too much RGB flashiness. This unique aesthetic catches everyone’s eye and definitely adds to the overall design quality. 

But the design quality is not limited to aesthetics – this motherboard earned its place on this list because of how it treats your Intel CPU. Even with DDR4, this motherboard lights up on every performance test in the best way possible.

This is accompanied by clever and efficient power delivery through a 16+1+1 phases power delivery system. In addition, you get 1x PCIe 5.0 slot and 4x Gen 4 M.2 slots to go with it. This means you could run the Nvidia RTX 4000 series GPU. Adding to the performance are smartly executed cooling and enough USB I/O options to handle any gaming challenge you throw at it. 

All these design decisions excite me and make this motherboard my pick for the best-designed gaming motherboard for your Intel CPU. 

Mini-ITX form factor motherboards often end up compromising on one or two aspects of performance. It is difficult to find one that excels at gaming performance. But you know I wouldn’t let you down! The ASUS ROG Strix Z790-I Gaming is exactly what you need.

This is one of the best-performing mini-ITX gaming motherboards for an Intel CPU out there. Powered by a 10+1+1 power phases design and top-of-the-line DDR5 RAM compatibility, you can rest assured that you will remain competitive with this motherboard.

You also get 1 16x PCIe 5.0 slot, meaning compatibility for newer generation GPUs. The smaller form factor doesn’t hold any reservations when it comes to I/O options, and you even get onboard WiFi 6E. 

The ASUS ROG Strix Z790-I offers all these features along with great performance, especially regarding speed and gaming performance tests. This puts it at the top of my choices for the best compact form factor gaming motherboard for Intel CPUs. 

With the influx of newer generation Raptor Lake CPUs, it is important to remember that the older chipsets are still very much alive. Keeping this in mind, I have just the motherboard for you, the Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X. 

With older LGA1700 CPU socket compatibility, you can use 12th and 13th-gen Intel CPUs perfectly with this motherboard. However, for 13th Gen CPUs, you’ll require to upgrade the BIOS. Along with this, you get new-age features like a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot to run the newest GPU tech. 

With a unique gun metal grey look because of its large heatsinks, the cooling performance is great in its class. What’s more, the motherboard performs exceptionally in Cinebench R23 and Realbench benchmark tests, even with DDR4 RAM. Moreover, I played games like GTA-V and Witcher-3 without any heating issues.

This meeting point between old-gen chipsets and new-gen motherboard technology makes this motherboard my first preference for the best z690 gaming motherboard. 

MSI is synonymous with quality, so it is no surprise that even their budget models have much to offer. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk gaming has to offer in an Intel gaming PC build!

This motherboard has been selected especially for budget gamers. But don’t underestimate it for its pricing because it gives you optimum gaming performance powered by PCIe 5.0. You’ll get 2x PCIe16x (PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 3.0) slots for graphics cards. Furthermore, the DDR4 RAM utility is optimized to the maximum 5333+(OC) MHz. 

Overclocking the RAM showed some great testing results, showing all the signs of a promising motherboard. In addition, the cooling performance is exceptional with Extended Heatsink Design and M.2 Shield Frozr for a motherboard in this price range. 

Apart from this, you get 2.5GbE LAN and WiFi 6E connectivity and ample I/O options bundled in a sleek black and silver aesthetic. Also, the latest Bluetooth 5.3 is also available in this motherboard, which you won’t see in any of the above motherboards. These factors make the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk Gaming the best budget gaming motherboard for Intel CPUs.

My Final Picks

This list will get you the best possible best gaming motherboards for AMD and Intel CPUs, no matter what consumer category you fall under. As always, I recommend knowing what you need from your motherboard and choosing one that aligns with those goals. You can checkout the list of top pick AM5 motherboards for Ryzen PC build.

Anyways, having a perfect motherboard is the backbone for gaming, but without a powerful graphics card, it’s incomplete. Hence, if you really want to experience hardcore gaming, go for an RTX 4090 graphics card, or you can choose an RTX 4070Ti for a budget gaming setup.

Now let’s see the final picks:

The overall best gaming motherboard for AMD CPUs is easily the GIGABYTE X670 AORUS Elite AX. I say this based on the amazing features you get for the price you pay. The value for money is through the roof, coupled with excellent performance!

In my opinion, the best gaming motherboard for Intel CPUs is the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming. I would justify this by the sheer amount of gaming power that the spec sheet boasts, which is verified by testing!

The most powerful & premium choice for AMD is the ASUS Crosshair X670E Hero. The key reason behind this is that this motherboard gets you improved functionality and key features for the premium price – not just bells and whistles!

For tight-budget gamers, the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk is recommended for Intel users, while the MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK is recommended for AMD users. Both motherboards effectively utilize their feature set and excel in RAM optimization, which is crucial for ensuring competitiveness in budget motherboards.

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